M4.8 earthquake 172 km W of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 172 km W of Pangai, Tonga on Sun, Jan 12, 1986, 11:59 AM GMT+13 (22:59 UTC), 272 km (169 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 111 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-01-11 22:59:47 UTC
- Depth
- 271.8 km (168.9 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.668° S, 175.988° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002pzb. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:26 PM UTC.